Good morning. Today, Willy and I will be talking about the oneness of master and disciple. This principle is crucial to the heritage and transmission of the Ultimate Law. However, I know that a lot of us find this principle rather confusing, particularly since Nichiren Daishonin tells us that Buddhism upholds absolute equality. The notion of equality seems to contradict the idea of there being a master, with its implication of superiority.

Furthermore, one of the last things that Shakyamuni said before he died was that we should ‘rely on the Law, not upon persons’. This, too, is a bit confusing – Shakyamuni seems to be telling us that since people are fallible, ultimately, we shouldn’t place total trust in any one person.

So, given these apparent contradictions, how can we accept the idea of master and disciple? Let’s have a look at what ND says in the Gosho we are studying here this week. I’d like to start by reading the last paragraph on the first page of the Gosho in our course booklets:

OK, so the first point ND is telling us here is that all of us are equal to, and inseparable from, the Buddha and the Law. This sounds all very well as a theory, but do we truly accept that we ourselves are Buddhas? Most of us seem to be very adept at focussing on the proof that we can’t possibly be a Buddha - we’re experts at seeing our faults, our weaknesses, the things in our lives that aren’t the way we want them to be - job, relationship, money, you name it.

But ND is saying that this way of thinking is delusional. It is our delusions that make it difficult for us to understand and accept the B’s wisdom (let’s face it, the idea that by chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo we can manifest Buddhahood seems too simple to be true). In fact, at the very beginning of the 2nd chapter of the LS, which we recite during gongyo, Shakyamuni wakes up from his state of meditation and the first thing he says is, ‘The wisdom of the Buddhas is infinitely profound and immeasureable. The door to this wisdom is difficult to understand and difficult to enter.’

And not only does he say that the Buddha’s wisdom difficult to understand and enter, or experience for ourselves, towards the end of the section of the 2nd chapter of the LS that we recite, Shakyamuni says, ‘The true entity of all phenomena can only be understood and shared between Buddhas’.

Well, that doesn’t seem much help to us if we don’t believe that we’re Buddhas in the first place, does it? Again, this kind of thinking is just a block that we ourselves create in our minds.

Later in the 2nd chapter, Shakyamuni says, ‘This Law is not something that can be understood through pondering or analysis’. This is another clue to the fact that logical, analytical thought processes are not the key to understanding the Buddhist Law.

The good news is that Shakyamuni says:

Shakyamuni is saying here that all living beings can awaken to the Buddha wisdom. That means all of us, without exception, can be equal to Shakyamuni. ‘Equal to’ doesn’t mean ‘the same as’. It means that you and I can be equal to Shakyamuni in manifesting the Buddha’s limitless compassion, wisdom and courage, and equal in constantly being motivated solely by the desire to awaken others to their Buddha nature.

The fact that we find this difficult to believe is merely an obstacle. Our lives contain both the pure, unadulterated life-energy of Buddhahood, and the bottomless pit of fundamental darkness. The challenge of our Buddhist practice is to defeat our inner darkness in order that our Buddhahood will prevail.

Shakyamuni had exactly the same struggle when he sat down to meditate, determined to achieve enlightenment. President Ikeda writes about this in Vol. 3 of The New Human Revolution:

I like that description because it reminds us that Shakyamuni was an ordinary human being who, just like us, had to fight his doubts, and that force within all of us that urges us to give up the struggle because it’s just too hard.

One of the most important points in the Lotus Sutra is that fundamentally, there is no separation between the Buddha and the ordinary human being. Of course, all of us are unique, and our differences are the result of karma. At the most fundamental level, however, all of us express in our own unique way the fundamental force of life itself, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

The Lotus Sutra is like an epic poem, in which Shakyamuni attempts to describe the wonder of this law of life. But, as we know, he didn’t actually name the law itself. That’s because conditions in this planet earth at the time when he was alive were such that people could attain enlightenment through his description of the Law’s effects. However, as time went by, and the world’s population increased, the power of delusion grew stronger and stronger.

That’s why Nichiren Daishonin had to name the Law and give us such detailed instructions about how to practise it.

At this year’s SGI-UK General Meeting, Kazuo Fujii talked about the closing lines of the 16th chapter of the Lotus Sutra: Mai ji sa ze nen, I ga ryo shujo, toku nyu mujo do, soku joju busshin.’ (At all times I think to myself: How can I cause living beings to gain entry into the unsurpassed way and quickly acquire the body of a Buddha?)

So the Buddha’s constant and sole desire is to awaken all people to the fact that they, too, are Buddhas. This is precisely what ND devoted his life to doing. And it is in this sense that the Buddha is the master. The role of the Buddha is to understand, manifest and expound the Law. And the role of the disciples is to put the Buddha’s teachings into practice.

The Buddha is totally at one with the Law, and can’t help but express it in every thought, word and action. In contrast, the disciples are striving to become one with the Law. So there is a hierarchy, or pecking order, if you like, in Buddhism. This hierarchy is determined by the extent to which we express the qualities of the Buddha.

As I said earlier, we differ because of our karma. And it is due to our karma that we are more - or less - adept at defeating our inner darkness and expressing our compassion, courage and wisdom.

So democracy in Buddhism goes much deeper than the right to express our views, cast votes and abide by majority opinion. Buddhist democracy is about the fact that all human beings can elevate their life condition and become equal to the Buddha. In contrast, political democracy is concerned with external factors, and doesn’t recognise that it’s possible for all people to be totally happy and at ease, free from suffering and hardship.

Shakyamuni, ND, and President Ikeda all constantly remind us that the key to attaining Buddhahood is faith. Faith in the indisputable fact that we are Buddhas, and faith in the power of the Mystic Law, Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, to awaken the Buddhahood within us and thus purify our lives of delusion.

It would be much simpler, wouldn’t it, if we could just accept that we’re Buddhas and behave like Buddhas. However, the power of delusion is so strong that it just ain’t that simple – which is why we need to practise continuously.

Let’s look at the 3rd paragraph on the 2nd page of the Gosho in our course booklets. I’m going to start reading roughly half way through this paragraph:

The idea here is not to make us feel guilty for disbelieving or slandering the Buddhist Law. ND is not trying to convince us to practise out of fear of what will happen if we don’t. Rather, he’s urging us always to return to our twice daily practice, no matter what happens in between times.

Every time we chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, we’re returning to the original cause of life itself and revitalising and strengthening this eternal life-force within us. The difficulties we encounter in daily life are, as we’re constantly being told, opportunities to show proof of the qualities of Buddhahood that exist within us.

Of course, when faced with a tough challenge, it’s easy to give in to our negativity. It’s so much easier to blame the people around us for our problems than it is to accept responsibility ourselves. For example, if my boss, or one of my parents, behaves abusively towards me, surely they are the ones who are responsible for their bad behaviour?

From a Buddhist point of view, it’s my karma to be in this situation. The fact that I’m a victim of abuse is due to a cause within my own life. Whoever is abusing me is simply responding to the cause that lies within me. So it’s my responsibility to change myself. By chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo, I’m purifying my life. As a result, I can make the cause to respect myself and others much stronger within me than the cause to be a victim of abuse.

However, even if we do hours and hours of daimoku every day, if we close the doors of the Butsudan and instantly, or even gradually, start to disrespect ourselves, other people, or our environment, then we’re pretty much cancelling out the beneficial effects of our daimoku. So attaining Buddhahood isn’t just as simple as chanting twice a day – purifying our lives takes more effort than that alone.

As well as chanting, we need to reflect on our behaviour, and ask ourselves, ‘Am I truly being compassionate towards myself and others? Am I truly respecting myself and others? Am I doing my best to enable others to recognise and manifest their Buddhahood?’

Daimoku is the source of limitless compassion, courage and wisdom. So when we chant, we get the most benefit if we focus on fusing totally with the sound and vibration of Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.

Personally, I find it quite a challenge to focus on this rather than the clutter of thoughts chattering around in my head. However, I find it kind of comforting to know that even President Ikeda finds this a challenge, for in volume 10 of The Human Revolution he says:

At this point in The Human Revolution, President Ikeda is writing about the Osaka campaign. This was a campaign to increase the number of members in order to support a Soka Gakkai member who was standing in the local elections in Kansai. At the time the campaign started, in October 1955, there were 30,000 members in Kansai. But 200,000 votes were needed in the June 1956 election, just 8 months later, in order for the Gakkai candidate to win. President Ikeda was clear from the very start that this campaign was about inspiring and encouraging people in faith, rather than gaining political power. In writing about his struggle to find total conviction in a victorious outcome, given the enormity of the task before him, he says:

So, we learn from this that Sensei, too, has had to work really hard at manifesting the oneness of master and disciple - which, in the simplest terms, means fusing oneself totally with the Law.

So, Nichiren Daishonin is the Buddha who is totally at one with the Law, and is therefore our Master, our Great Teacher, in the period of world history called the Latter Day of the Law. And at this particular period now, President Ikeda is the person who is leading the way in understanding the Law, expressing it in his behaviour, and teaching it to others.

Of course, he, in turn, was taught and trained by President Toda. In the last chapter of volume 12, the last volume of The Human Revolution, President Ikeda reflects on his relationship with Toda. I’ve given you this as a handout - it’s called New Dawn. I hope you’ll find time to read it, as it explains very clearly why the spirit of oneness of master and disciple is vital to the correct transmission of Buddhism. There isn’t time to read through it all now, so I’m just going to draw your attention to part of it, starting about halfway through the first page:

Many in contemporary Japan[, however,] viewed the term ‘master and disciple’ as an anachronistic relic of feudal times. Yet a teacher or master is vital in mastering any field. This is all the more true when it comes to understanding the law of life propounded in Buddhism. Indispensable to this endeavour is a teacher with a profound grasp of this law who can inspire and encourage us in our Buddhist practice.

It takes a human being to raise and foster another human being.

The master and disciple relationship had been a core element of Buddhism from its earliest days. Buddhist practice has its origins in those who decided on their own accord to embrace the Buddha, Shakyamuni, as their master, following him and listening to him preach the Law he had become enlightened to within his own life.

The master-disciple relationship of Buddhism is different from any societal system or contract. It is always based on the free and spontaneous will of the individual, an expression of that person’s seeking spirit. It has nothing to do with personal gain or self-interest. It is a spiritual bond of the purest kind, arising from a desire to pursue a life dedicated to the highest truth. Because of this, the bond of master and disciple is as strong and imperishable as a diamond.

Shin’ichi had looked up to Toda as a master and earnestly followed him, but not because Toda or anyone else had asked him to do so. It came out of a personal commitment; he had vowed to become Josei Toda’s disciple because he was convinced that there was no other leader genuinely committed to realizing kosen-rufu or who embodied Nichiren Daishonin’s Buddhism as Toda did.

***

We can see from this that while, of course, the Buddhist Law will always exist, it will remain pure theory unless people put it into practice. And it can’t be spread without people. And it can only be spread by people who embody Nichiren Daishonin’s spirit and his commitment to realising kosen-rufu.

I’d like to turn back to the Gosho now, the second paragraph on the third page:

Karma is basically a store of potential energy. Everything that happens in the universe is due to the shuffling and jostling of the various elements within this enormous pot of karmic soup. So the fact that Shakyamuni appeared when he did was the result of the karmic relationships that existed in the soup.

The timing of Nichiren Daishonin’s appearance, and his function in the universe, was also due to the nature of the karmic soup. Likewise, the fact that we are all here now, living at the same time as President Ikeda, is due to our relationship to one another in the rich soup of karma.

Of course, we are all creating new karma at every moment, and so our relationships with one another and the world around us are constantly changing as a result. However, Nichiren Daishonin tells us here that the bond of master and disciple is so profound that it continues to exist through past, present and future. So our relationship to Nichiren Daishonin and to President Ikeda is eternal.

Our mission is extremely important. As we know, Nikken has been attempting to distort the Buddhist teachings, setting himself up as a superior, almost God-like, all-powerful being. The day that Buddhism reverts to setting the Buddha up as a ‘holier than thou’ unattainable ideal, is the day that it’s spirit and effectiveness dies.

The whole point about Shakyamuni’s and ND’s teachings is that all of us are inherently Buddhas. And, as ND famously points out in ‘The Three Kinds of Treasure’, ‘The real meaning of Shakyamuni Buddha’s appearance in this world lay in his behaviour as a human being.’

So, let’s think about the sort of behaviour we might expect of a Buddha. Certainly, this must involve unconditional respect for oneself and for others. And it must mean caring about the well-being of others and the planet that we live on. A Buddha couldn’t be arrogant or domineering, nor desperate to make him or herself look good at all costs. A Buddha wouldn’t go around claiming to be superior, or fearful of having less power than another person.

When we read President Ikeda’s guidance, his humility and concern for others are strikingly obvious. If we have any doubts at all about whether to follow the Nikken priesthood, or President Ikeda and the Soka Gakkai, we simply need to compare and contrast their speeches and their behaviour.

President Ikeda has devoted his life to construction: expanding the Soka Gakkai to almost every country in the world, creating Soka Gakkai culture centres throughout Japan and in many other countries, building schools, universities, museums, art exhibitions, cultural festivals, support for the United Nations, and so on.

In contrast, Nikken seems to have devoted his life to destruction: chopping down the hundreds of beautiful cherry trees at the Head Temple, destroying two buildings of architectural renown at Taisekiji - the Sho Hondo and the Dai Kyakuden. And he is intent on destroying the Soka Gakkai so that he can gain power and renown for himself.

This battle between the forces of good and evil has existed througout the history of Buddhism. And that’s not surprising, for it’s simply the external manifestation of our internal battle with these forces. In Shakyamuni’s day, the arch-evil baddie was Devadatta, who tried to gain control of Shakyamuni’s followers. But Shakyamuni saw through him, and Devadatta’s plot failed.

In Nichiren Daishonin’s day, the most powerful man in the country was Hojo Tokiyori, who not only ignored the Daishonin’s compassionate and logical explanation of the truth, sent to him in the form of the Rissho Ankoku Ron, but also allowed his main henchman, the chief of police, to exile ND to a virtual death sentence.

Now, in this day and age, this force of darkness has appeared in the form of Nikken and the priests who follow him. So unless we defeat this force, within ourselves - through striving to fuse with ND’s spirit when we chant, and by informing ourselves of what ND actually taught, through studying the Gosho, so that we can assist others in discovering the truth, the future of Buddhism will once again be endangered.

In the 3rd paragraph on the 3rd page of the Gosho in our booklets, ND says:

So, let’s be confident about this, as ND urges us. Let’s not dwell on any doubts we may have about ourselves or the validity of this practice. Rather, let’s chant to become one with the Law, to share it with others, and to show actual proof of the power of this practice.

We can learn so much about what it means to be a Buddha by reading President Ikeda’s guidance. I have found it extremely helpful not only to read his guidance, but to pick out something he says and strive to apply it in my daily life. I usually pick something new each month - it might be striving to be totally fearless, or trying to give hope to others – each time I’ve done this, I’ve really had to challenge something in my life and I have developed and benefitted as a result.

To end with, I’d like to read you a passage that struck me deeply from a recent essay by President Ikeda, in which he writes about the Director and Chief Choreographer of the Hamburg Ballet, John Neumeier. He says:

That’s what the oneness of master and disciple is all about. Seeking the source of enlightenment and sharing it with others in our own unique way.

Let’s do it.

Thanks for listening. I’m sure you’re ready for a break now!